Our Summer Holidays

It's been a while since I regularly wrote a blog post. Now, I have a real hunger to write some more and share with you a behind the scenes of my work, process and a little more about me.  So to make a start I want to invite you to spend some time with me on my Summer holidays.  It's something I take a lot if inspiration from and it's not only a way to refresh my mind but to take ideas for the future.

Every year with my partner, we take a month to travel in our van to new places, spending every day climbing, walking or running and being outside as much as we can.  This year saw us travel from our home in Granada the South of Spain up to France and along its mountains in the south, through Italy and into Switzerland before heading back home. 

Our travel started as we headed into France, stopping in a little village called Chateauvert.  Over the years I've come to realise how much I love the architecture in the South of France.  With their soft pastel colours and use of natural stone and wood.  It's something that I have been inspired by and want to use in my paintings.  Along from the village was our destination, a place to spend time in the water in the morning and climb hard in the afternoon.

We spend a few days here before moving further along the coast.  Our next  stop was to be Gorges du Loup, with its impressive walls that follow the river along the valley.  The water here was crystal clear and surprisingly warm.  There was an abundance of wildlife which we took to time to spend time with before heading to the climbing sector to spend the afternoon.

 This Summer the weather has been incredibly hot, with temperatures reaching 38 every day.  It was time to start going higher into the mountains to find some fresh air.  The next few days we travelled to Utelle and Colmiane to climb and do some via ferratas.  It was so nice to higher up in the mountains, seeing them grow and feeling so small in such a big landscape.

The weather was still getting hotter, we pant a day in Italy before the temperature was too much to enjoy the landscapes properly, so we made our way to Switzerland.  Spending a few days in a tiny village called Simplon Dorf.  He we climbed and walked every moment we could.  The waterfalls and glaciers in the area were impressive.   There was a constant movement of water and wind bring a new life to everything.

Our next destination was the iconic Matterhorn.  We wanted to spend some time in this place, taking in the amazing landscapes and shapes of the mountains.  It was a difficult place to stay free and easy with the amount of tourists visiting.  It didn't feel like the mountains anymore.  So we had one day here doing a via ferrata and walking until it got dark.

To escape the crowds we moved onto Crans Montana, sleeping in the valley high above the clouds.  The landscape was spectacular, with freshly fallen snow and a new feeling of cold air that revitalised my body and mind.  We walked every day, finding new places and little lakes.  Our travel was nearly at an end, as we crossed over the boarder to France our van broke down and we had to be sent home ahead of time.  Although I was sad to finish the journey early, I felt a new sense of desire to paint, with lots of new ideas and inspiration.  

Keep a look out or sign up to my newsletter to read the next blog post in my studio.  Until then have a great end to your summer.